Camille Claudel (1988)

Biography of Camille Claudel. Sister of writer Paul Claudel, her enthusiasm impresses already-famous sculptor Auguste Rodin. He hires her as an assistant, but soon Camille begins to sculpt ... See full summary »

Director:

Bruno Nuytten

Writers:

Reine-Marie Paris (based on the book by), Bruno Nuytten (scenario and dialogue),

Stars:

Isabelle Adjani, Gérard Depardieu, Madeleine Robinson

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 9 wins & 8 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Isabelle Adjani	...	Camille Claudel
Gérard Depardieu	...	Auguste Rodin
Madeleine Robinson	...	Louise-Athanaise Claudel
Laurent Grévill	...	Paul Claudel
Philippe Clévenot	...	Eugène Blot
Katrine Boorman	...	Jessie Lipscomb
Maxime Leroux	...	Claude Debussy
Danièle Lebrun	...	Rose Beuret
Jean-Pierre Sentier	...	Limet
Roger Planchon	...	Morhardt
Aurelle Doazan	...	Louise Claudel
Madeleine Marie	...	Victoire
Alain Cuny	...	Louis-Prosper Claudel
Gérard Beaume
Martin Berléand	...	Robert

Storyline

Biography of Camille Claudel. Sister of writer Paul Claudel, her enthusiasm impresses already-famous sculptor Auguste Rodin. He hires her as an assistant, but soon Camille begins to sculpt for herself and for Rodin. She also becomes his mistress. But after a while, she would like to get out of his shadow...

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Plot Keywords:

sculptor | auguste rodin | camille claudel | insanity | reference to victor hugo | 

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | History | Romance

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Certificate:

R

Details

Official Sites:

MGM

Country:

France

Language:

French

Release Date:

21 December 1989 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Paixão de Camille Claudel

Box Office

Gross:

$201,055 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Les Films Christian Fechner, Lilith Films I.A., Gaumont

Technical Specs

Runtime:

175 min 158 min (cut)

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Color:

Color (Fujicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

A major scene in the movie depicts the announcement of the death of Victor Hugo. In The Story of Adele H, Isabelle Adjani played Adèle Hugo, Victor Hugo's daughter who, like Camille Claudel, suffered from schizophrenia.

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Quotes

Morhardt: Who do you think you are?
Camille Claudel: Don't you know who I am? Or are you pretending?
Morhardt: What kind of behavior is this? You're crazy!
Camille Claudel: Camille Claudel. I am Camille Claudel! And if you don't know it, I'll show you!

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Connections

Referenced in La musica di Camille Claudel (2008)

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Soundtracks

"Impromptu E-flat major, D.899-2"
Composed by Franz Schubert

User Reviews

Extremely underrated. Adjani's performance is epic!

This film is beyond beautiful and beyond heartbreaking. After 19 years, it still tears the heart right out of me. I first saw "Camille Claudel" while it was on it's Oscar campaign in 1990 for "Best Foreign Film" and "Best Actress - Isabelle Adjani". I hadn't really begun to appreciate foreign film yet so I had no idea what to expect. What I saw was an angel beyond description giving one of the greatest acting performances I had EVER seen, still to this day. This film is heart-wrenching in it's beauty and romantic tragedy. In fact it makes art of it. I went back to the theater to watch it six times, I even dragged friends along. Yes the film was brilliant, but what I went back to see was perhaps the most beautiful woman I've ever seen on the big screen. Isabelle Adjani's beauty in this film is breath-taking and her performance is one of the most intense and deeply moving in history. I have this film on VHS and DVD. I still love to watch it.